Automatic car-fender.



No. 888,578. PATENTED MAY 26, 1908.

H W. BODENDIECK.

AUTOMATIC OAR FENDER. ApPLIoATIoN FILED AUG. 30. 1907.

INVENTOR WITNESSEfi nu: nonms PETERS co, wnsnmcmu, u. c.

HENRY W. BODENDIEOK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

AUTOMATIC CAR-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1908.

Application filed August 30, 1907. Serial No. 390,781.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY W. BODEN- DIECK, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Automatic Car-Fenders, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic car fenders andconsists in the novel arrangement, construction and combination of partsas will be fully hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of my invention is to construct a car fender to be operatedautomatically whenever an object comes in contact with the front grillor vertical section of the fender.

A further object of my invention is to arrange in combination with anordinary front fender of a car a horizontal fender which willautomatically contact with the track and be advanced forwardlyunderneath the front fender whenever an object comes in contacttherewith.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my complete inventionshowing the same in its normal or raised position. Fig. 2 is a top planview of the same removed from the car body.

In the construction of my invention I pro vide a pair of supports 3which are rigidly attached at the top to the under side of the car bodyor platform 4 of the car. In the sup ports and near the bottom areformed elongated openings or slots 5, and in said slots operate sheaves6, one located on each end of the operating shaft 7, the said shaft 7being connected centrally to a connecting rod 8 by which the shaft 7 isoperated forwardly or rearwardly by means of the manipulation of thefulcrum 9. The fulcrum 9 is pivotally connected to the brace 10, whichis supported to the under side of the car, the short end of said fulcrumbeing pivotally connected to the piston rod 11 of the air cylinder 12.

To the shaft 7 is hingedly attached a horizontal fender 1 3, the saidfender being formed of a plurality of strips 14 made preferably ofspring material and suitably bent as shown in Fig. 1 so as to retain thebody or object whenever the same contacts therewith.

The strips 14 are supported to the cross strips 15, the innermost strip15 being secured to the hinges 16 by which the said fender is retainedin position upon the shaft 7.

The outermost ends of the strips are suitably bent forming the roundedends 17 so as to permit the strips to pass over cobblestones or the likein the track and preventing the same from puckering and being bent outof shape.

To the under side of the car and on each side of the cylinder 13 issuspended a pair of hangers 18. To the lower end of each is pivoted alink 19. To the free end of each link is connected a rod 20, the saidrod extending underneath the entire fender and arranged to support saidfender in a raised position as shown in Fig. 1 when the same is not inuse. Upon said rod is attached a lever 21 which is arranged at an angleopposite to the links 19 and to the end of said lever is connected a rod22, its opposite end being connected to the end of the horizontal bar23. The opposite end of the horizontal bar 23 is bent upwardly formingthe projection 24, which comes in contact with the shaft 7 to retain therod 20 in raised position, and thus support the fender.

The air cylinder 12 is located under the platform at any suitableposition and is arrangedwith suitable pipe connections25 by which air isadmitted into the cylinder from the proper air supply. In order toautomatically place the fender in operation when the samecontacts withan object I provide a valve 26, the valve stem being connected to a rod27 and the said rod projecting forwardly and being connected to theinner surface of the grill or vertical section of the fender 28. Thissection is of an ordinary type of fender made of strips and supported tothe dashboard of the car at the point indicated by the numeral 29 and isof sufficient resiliency as to permit the same to bend inwardly when anobject contacts therewith, operating the rod 27, opening the valve andpermitting the air to pass into the air cylinder 12. Immediately uponthe admission of air into the cylinder the piston 11 is operated, whichplaces in operation the fulcrum 9 and l instantaneously the shaft 7together with the fender 13 is thrust forwardly and while the shaft 7 isleaving the projection 24 and the bar 22, the weight of the cylinder, bymeans of its forward movement, will have the tendency to overbalance therod 20, permitting the fender to fall upon the track and advanceforwardly underneath the front section 28 to receive the object withwhich the car may come in contact.

When the fender has been operated and it is desired to replace the samein its normal prising a fender section hingedly mounted position, themotorman by the operation of l the valve can force the air in theopposite 1 end of the cylinder, which will replace the I operatingmechanism in reverse action draw- 5 ing the fender 13 rearwardly as theshaft 7 comes in contact with the projection 24 of l the bar 23 it willpull upon the same and cause the rod 20 to contact with the under isurface of the fender and again raise the same to. its normal positionas shown in Fig. 1.

The fender can be operated by the motorman as well as by the automaticconnection, but the most essential feature of my invention is thethrusting forwardly of a section of the fender permitting the same tocontact with the track and preventing the object from passing beneaththe front fender and contacting with the wheels of the car. The forwardmovement of the fender is such as to permit the same to pass outwardlyunderneath the front section of the fender a suitable distance to catchand support the object.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A device of the class described comupon a shaft; means for supportingthe shaft 1 upon the under side of the car; a lever mechanism connectedto said shaft and operated by an air cylinder in combination with afront fender section having connection with the air cylinder whereby thelower fender section may be automatically advanced forwardly when thefront fender section is brought in contact with an object, substantiallyas specified.

2. A device of the class described comprising a fender section locatedbeneath the car body; a pair of supports suspended from the car body; ashaft located in the supports and operating in slots formed in thesupports; an air cylinder; a lever mechanism operated by the aircylinder and connected to the fender section in combination with a frontfender section and means for admitting air into the air cylinder foroperating the fender sec tion when the front fender section is broughtin contact with an object, substantially as specified. w

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY W. BODENDIEOK. Witnesses:

WALTER C. STEIN, JAMES L. HOPKINS.

